4.5 million Congolese suffer from famine
In Congo 4.5 million people suffer from famine every day, according to a new report of the DRC Ministry of Agriculture. But there is also good news coming from Bas-Congo, where the food security is largely protected.
Farmers in Bas-Congo get Trias’ support.
According to this report, six percent of the Congolese population is affected by chronic famine. The causes are the population’s low buying capacity, the agricultural production’s deterioration and the fact that the food industry does not hold water. Due to this, more than half a million people suffer from famine in Bandundu alone.
Many Congolese are leaving Bandundu, which is located in the western part of Congo, to look for wealth in the diamond sector or in the big city. People are fleeing this province’s countryside and as a result, Kinshasa’s food security is at risk.
But there is also good news in Congo. In the province of Bas-Congo, where Trias is also active, the food security has been doing “fairly well” for some time. Notwithstanding the frequent armed conflicts and a yearly four-month dry spell.
Trias supports more than 18,000 farming communities in western Congo, in Bandundu as well as in Bas-Congo. It focuses on the commercialization of agricultural products. By uniting the Congolese farmers into local and national agricultural associations, Trias makes sure these farmers are heard. In the province of Bas-Congo, Trias is working together with partner Cocama, which commercializes cacao for export to Belgium.
For more information on this subject, check the report (in French).